Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Tortorello relentless along defensive line
FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville has one of the best passing games in the state, but even teams as efficient as the Bulldogs can’t win without quality play on defense.
That’s the job of players like Marcus Tortorello, a senior defensive lineman at Fayetteville. Tortorello is the middle man along the defensive front that will be challenged by Little Rock Catholic on Friday in a first-round Class 7A state playoff game at Harmon Field.
The Rockets will likely try to punish the Bulldogs with senior Sammy Johnson, an all-state running back and college prospect who’s rushed for over 1,000 yards this season. Johnson rushed for 212 yards and scored on touchdown runs of 72, 17, and 5 yards last week against Little Rock Central.
“He’s their guy, so it’ll be interesting to see if we can get him on the ground,” Fayetteville coach Billy Dawson said.
Tortorello (5-foot-11, 230 pounds) has put plenty of ball carriers on the ground for Fayetteville, which has won five of its past six games. He has 41 tackles, including 26 solo tackles, with eight sacks and 11 quarterback hurries.
Tortorello had a big game last week with nine tackles, three sacks and a deflected pass in a 42-14 victory at Springdale Har-Ber.
“Marcus is a tremendous worker,” Dawson said. “Regardless of what the drill is, he’s only one speed, and that’s full speed ahead. It’s paid off for him. He’s had a great year. That’s because of his relentless effort and uncanny strength from the work he does in the weight room.”
Tortorello’s motor doesn’t stop with the end of football season. He’s also a member of the Fayetteville wrestling team, and he finished fifth in the 220-pound weight class last year at the state tournament in Little Rock. He finished 35-16, a vast improvement from his first year in wrestling when he went 13-24 as a sophomore.
“Over the last two years, Marcus has started to understand his body type with positioning to help him gain advantages on his opponents,” Fayetteville wrestling coach Nika West said. “He’s a great kid who has the whole package any coach would
love to have. He is a student first, athlete second.”
Tortorello said wrestling helps with football but added there are differences in the way he approaches the two sports.
“It helps with balance, and ever since I starting wrestling my endurance has gone up a lot,” Tortorello said. “I can play a lot more without getting tired. In wresting, it’s a lot more running and calisthenics. In football, it’s more like a short burst of energy.”
Fayetteville appears primed for a playoff run with the return of senior quarterback Darius Bowers, who missed three games because of a knee injury. Bowers is back and flinging passes again to Beau Stuck- ey and Connor Flannigan, who caught nine passes for 145 yards last week in the win over Har-Ber.
Tortorello said getting Bowers back has energized and boosted the confidence of the Bulldogs, who will face Bryant in a second-round game if they get past Little Rock Catholic.
“Darius has been my quarterback since I first started football, like when I was 7,” Tortorello said. “We’ve been playing in youth leagues all the way up until now. He’s an awesome quarterback, really tough, too, and I’m glad he’s not hurt anymore.”